The present invention relates generally to systems for locating items within a defined area. More specifically, the present invention includes a wireless computerized system for filling prescriptions, and then locating specific prescriptions that have been filled when the customer arrives to pick up the prescription.
There are several systems available today for locating and keeping track of various types of items, and prescription medications in particular. U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,544 is directed to a pharmacy prescription order identification system that permits individual detection and tracking of prescription orders even when they are all contained within a bulk container. Each prescription order in the bulk container has a uniquely identified tag. The tag is uniquely coded such that a tag reader can substantially simultaneously read a plurality of tags, thereby facilitating bulk processing and tracking of prescription orders. In a preferred embodiment the computer system compares the detected prescription orders in a bulk shipment with a provided manifest and alerts a worker of any discrepancies found.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,155 discloses a will call system for automating the management of storage and retrieval of items, preferably medical prescriptions. The automated system provides informational control of all items in the system. The automated will call monitors the length of time an item remains in the system, and into which location an item is placed. An article sensor provides absolute confirmation that an item has been placed or removed from a designated location in the storage units. The automated will call system uses a controller to permit users to monitor and optimize the storage and retrieval procedures.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,146 describes a storage system for a pharmacy that has a frame containing a rack-like structure with a plurality of storage carriers detachably suspended therefrom. The carriers are sized to receive filled prescription orders and the like and include individual identifiers that facilitate locating the carriers at a specific location on the rack-like structure. Preferably, the storage system includes a tracking system that detects, monitors, and displays to a worker the location of the storage carrier containing a particular customer's prescription order, thereby providing easy retrieval of the customer's prescription order.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,496,521 is directed to a pharmacy prescription order identification system that has a uniquely identified tag that travels with the prescription order throughout the pharmacy and is wirelessly connected to a computer system. The tag includes one or more worker signaling devices, such as lights or an audio speaker, that activate in response to either input from the pharmacy worker or other predetermined criteria to identify the prescription order to the pharmacy worker. In a preferred embodiment, the tag includes a plurality of worker signaling devices, and the activation of each transducer alerts a pharmacy worker to a different status of the prescription order. More preferably, the prescription order identification system includes a computer system that allows a pharmacy worker to individually access a customer's record, then activate the worker signaling devices on the tag associated with that customer's prescription order, thereby allowing a particular prescription order within the pharmacy to be easily identified. In addition, the computer system can automatically monitor the status of all pending prescription orders within the pharmacy and using predefined criteria, such as the elapsed time the prescription order has been within the pharmacy, automatically activate the worker signaling devices on the tags associated with the particular prescription orders meeting that criteria.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,006,903 describes an apparatus that includes a processor configured to operate a software application, which is configured to receive selection of a number of discrete groups into which to divide a plurality of identified products. The products are located at respective storage locations in a collection of storage locations. The software application is therefore configured to divide the identified products into discrete groups such that the areas of the resulting groups of products at respective storage locations are substantially non-overlapping. The software application is further configured to assign the groups of products to respective workstation computers, each of which is configured to generate and transmit, for each of one or more of the products of a respective group, a signal to an associated RFID tag to thereby direct the RFID tag to generate a notification signal. A method and computer program product for managing inventory are also provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,830,181 discloses a system and method which utilizes a dual function reader device, which may be a hand-held inventory control device, which first performs an optical read of an optical bar code on a carrier unit, then based on the identification of other information obtained from the optical read a RF read is made of a RF tag attached to, or within, the carrier unit. An indicator light on the carrier unit illuminates when the optical read is completed, which allows an operator to visually verify that the optical read has transpired for the desired carrier unit. The RF tag provides data regarding the inventory of the goods stored within, or on, the carrier unit, the temperature of the goods, the shelf-life of the goods, the source and/or destination of the carrier unit and/or the goods, or other information. Data can also be written to the RF tag by the reader.
However, many of the above referenced systems suffer from serious disadvantages, including high cost, difficulty of installation, unnecessary complexity, and difficulty of use. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a simple, low-cost, computerized will-call system and method for filling, locating and keeping track of prescription orders.